Banner Health Reviews

Pros

This company as a whole has such potential to grow into the most desirable healthcare systems. Progrssive, visionary company. Good Benefits. Opportunites for growth.

Cons

With all the new construction, difficult to navagate around facility. There is too much focus on providing a "Spa- like experience" (other than OB) for patients rather than sticking to the business at hand, acute care.

Advice to Senior Management

During this difficult economy, Banner is missing the opportunity to groom a loyal core work force by not highly valuing its emplyees. The tenor seems to be "it could be worse, your lucky to have a job these days", this approach devalues individual contributions (and a comany is only as good as it's employees, since their work is Banner's face in the community) and sets the company up for a mass exodus when the economy turns around. Remeber the "the guilded cage". Management means leadership, working for/serving their employee's, in turn we employees work for and serve our patients, in turn satified patients come back and make referals, keeping that positive energy (and profits) flowing.

Pros

Employee Benefits are pretty decent and there is good opportunity for education. Other than those two items, there is not much else to say about working for banner health.

Cons

If you like being treated with no respect, then Banner is definitely the place to work. The current trend coming down from management is that of customer service and satisfaction. But the philosophy from management has been to devalue its employees and the work that they do. Senior management\Leadership does not have the background in the customer service industry to balance employee appreciation and customer satisfaction. I have read most of the reviews listed on this website and for the most part, they are fairly accurate in all their assessments. In my opinion, one of the biggest indications is the quantity of job openings still available for registered nurses at a time when the economy is bad and jobs are at a premium. In my department, we are experiencing a fair amount of employee turnover. It would appear that, whatever money they are saving by eliminating all the employee benefits and perks that originally made banner a good place to work, they are reinvesting that money into training new employees. They haven't got it in employee retention, especially in the customer service environment, has a significant impact on the level of patient care and satisfaction.

An example of management's poor leadership is as follows. In the same week that nursing was told about the reduction in benefits, overtime and 2% annual pay raises, there was an article in the local paper about the opening of Banners new $90 million Cancer Center opening in Chandler. even with a minimal amount of critical thinking, one can deduce that banner had the capability of Not cutting employee benefits, that they were using the economy as a ploy to further their own gains and expand the Banner Empire at the costs of its current workforce. There is definitely a trend that is being handed down from executive management that includes manipulation of its workforce and a total disregard for the employees that are directly responsible for our clients and for customer satisfaction. But the executive management is not likely to be replaced until the time that investors in those individuals with secondary interests in Banner Health begin to see a decline in revenue.

I work in multiple departments and the one factor consistent is that there is no loyalty to banner from its employees. If senior management were to open their eyes and actually get in touch with the employee, perhaps they would understand and begin to make a change. I just do not think this will occur in the near future.

Advice to Senior Management

You are so focused on expanding the Banner Empire you have completely lost touch with those who are helping you get there.

Pros

Banner has a great overall system. They do some great things and really try to treat their employees well.

Cons

Middle management and facility management doesn't do a good job at creating expectations for their employees. They are obviously fixed on what they want to see from their employees, but fail to pass that on to them.

Advice to Senior Management

Senior organizational leadership is doing well.
Facility leadership needs to be up-front with their employees and make sure they understand what is expected of them.

Pros

It's a job until you can find a new one. Decent wage but not great.

Cons

Leadership from the top down does not care about the employees. HR is a joke corporate, local or any of them. Leaders are allowed and seem to be encouraged to harrass, berate, bully, demeen employees. top leaders are telling employees big changes are coming get on board or get out. I recommend the latter. This company does not care about the patients. Everything is about money and lining leaders pockets. The CEO is arrogant and his actions and attitude have trickled down to most of the other leaders. They tell professionals how to walk, talk, and dress.

Advice to Senior Management

Get rid of the current leadership. Trust your employees so maybe you can earn their trust. Bring in leaders with a medical background. Go back to the basics and follow the performance standards you developed. Improve benefits.

Pros

They value their employees, awesome benefits, flex hours, strong Sr. Management Team and strong brand recognition in healthcare field - a growing company even in this down economy!.

Cons

Feel the job responsibilities are not always in alignment / comensurate with pay - but they are working on that.

Advice to Senior Management

THANK YOU!

Pros

Good benefits, good training resources

Cons

Experience depends on strength of your immediate boss. Has gone through some significant changes, including 3 leadership changes in a year. Current management seems to be an improvement and things are gradually stabilizing

Advice to Senior Management

Greater focus on work-life balance for employees would be helpful. Expand in house childcare program to all centers.

Pros

The job itself is great. I put every ounce of effort into my work knowing that others, especially, patients will benefit from it.

Cons

There is definitely an unfairness in compensation between male and female for the same type and workload. Most of the time women in the male dominate departments are required to take on 15% to 30% more work then the the male counterpart with less pay. Management is poor. The immediate managers don’t speak up or willing to listen to proposed changes to increase efficiency. Some facilities' upper management has no clue as to what they're doing and lack essential communication skills. That's what happens when focusing on only hiring from within the company. The educational reimbursement program is just too long of a process and will only reimburse for job related classes at specific colleges. A panel of people get to make the decision whether your field of interest is essential to Banner Health, so there is very prospect in exploring other field of interest.

Advice to Senior Management

Need to pay employees based on the work load put upon them not on the specified compensation for the job title. If that's the case, rewrite the job description or adhere to the specified job description. Be fair. Teach upper managment essential communication skills. Need to expand on educational reimbursement. Some of us want to learn other skills unrelated to our job or Banner.

Pros

Banner offers good benifits, medical, dental, vision, 401k, ect. The pay is also competitive. They also offer bonuses based on overall patient satisfaction in their hospital system.

Cons

PTO system is flawed, everything is combined. Maternity leave is only five week paid. They are not very supportive of breastfeeding mothers. We are forced to were uniforms all of the same color and kind for our profession. Write employees up for smoking on their break period.

Advice to Senior Management

Nurses are professionals, treat us that way. Allow us to wear our choice of professional uniforms, allow us to smoke on our breaks if we so desire. Don't write us up for petty stuff, especially the stupid letters in the mail from quality management, if your gonna send those at least be specific.

Pros

I've worked for Banner Health for many years and have always been proud to be an employee. I've had many opportunities for learning and advancement. Banner is fair in it's salary and benefits. Leadership does a great job communicating changes. I believe that Banner Health has aligned its resources and strategies to truly deliver on the mission of providing excellent patient care.

Cons

Banner Health's leadership team should be more connected with the front lines in the hospitals. I don't get the impression that they get out very often to talk to employees. That's my only complaint.

Advice to Senior Management

My only advice for Banner's senior leadership is that they should spend more time in the hospitals talking to people on the front lines of patient care. I think they are too insulated.

Pros

Pay: The pay is pretty good, although I have heard a lot of complaints about the 2% pay increase cap. I am happy that we are still receiving pay increases, but would appreciate it more if our benefits weren't slashed as badly.

Work/Life Balance: My department and Manager have been very accomodating to my school/life schedule. This is not true of all departments though.

Location: It's super close to my house and right off the freeway.

Co-Worker Competence: I have had some horrible people that have worked with me; however, I have had some great people too. It seems pretty difficult to get fired from here. You'd be amazed what people get away with here!

Cons

Respect: My manager is a great manager; however, our SCM and Director couldn't care less for us and see us as expendable. We were actually told that the next person to make a mistake in our department would be "thrown into hot oil." This was the first meeting with our department after we had made one billing mistake in 3 months. Since that time (and prior to) we have never heard any words of encouragement from anyone other than our direct manager.

Benefits: This is an extremely sore spot with me. I came to Banner Health because I was interested in their benefits, mainly the Tuition Reimbursement plan. Banner paid for 1 year of Nursing school then they told me that 1) they wouldn't pay for my LPN and 2)I had too much time before I completed and they denied my reimbursement. (I had only 2 semesters left to my RN and had already completed my LPN - which they paid for already.) I requested an appeal and was denied with no reason. I applied again for my last semester of Nursing School and was told it wasn't part of their "Strategic Initiatives" and denied my request again and told that everyone who wasn't in a BSN program was being denied. (This was from our SCM who took a class on what lies to tell everyone that was denied.) Also, when I was hired, tuition reimbursement was for everyone. Now you have to apply by a ridiculous deadline with tons of paperwork and signatures then they require a contract for anyone who receives reimbursement. Sorry, I don't want my education paid for that bad.

Medical benefits are a joke here as well. I pay more than I paid for United Healthcare and Cigna with other employers. Plus, the Banner Network is extremely rigid! There aren't very many providers to choose from and you must go to a Banner facility or you will . I pay more for specialists, inpatient hospital stays, diagnostic tests, physical therapy, than my friends who have insurance through their employers. Everything requires prior authorization and it took me 1 year for my Dr. to get me cleared to have Singulair for my asthma (which they only authorized for 1 yr)!!! I also have back issues and they denied my claim for a portable electrical stimulation machine after I had it for (& they'd paid for it) 8 months and it was the only thing (minus meds) that gives me any relief.

Job Security: They think you're expentable in the clinical area while my area not so much since most people are new.

Career Potential/Growth: In my current department, there is no future. Supposedly, the clinical areas have more opportunity, but I see that it's all very political and definitely not where I will be. For me, I am just using this place to get enough experience to go somewhere better.

Work Environment: My department is crap in this area. We are lucky to get pencils/pens! We seriously have to beg for post-it notes or steal them from other departments. We also don't get to use our budget for employee morale boosters like in other areas.

Summary: As long as you come to Banner realizing that they don't care about you, I would recommend the experience you can receive here. If you can't get hired at any better hospitals, Good Sam is not the worst one out there. Just realize most "benefits" you get won't live up to what they're touted as. I am using Good Sam for what I can get then jumping ship as soon as I am able to get into a better hospital. Hopefully soon so I can have my BSN paid for!

Advice to Senior Management

I would recommend that they start placing employees first. Also, it would make sense to amend all new employees ability for tuition reimbursement; however, those that are already in the program should be grandfathered in. More open communication should be utilized in the corporation. It seems that only a bit of information is given when any changes are made.

Also, why if Banner is "tightening" it's belt are new hospitals being built, areas being redecorated, new uniforms being bought, etc? It seems like employees would be more interested in having their benefits then getting an ice crea, free dinner, or a tote bag. In addition, is it truly necessary for residents to be allowed $300 to use in the silent auction? Should they even be given the tickets for a fundraiser? That seems like a waste of funds since they aren't even spending their own money on the silent auction. Residents seem to be funds spenders instead of adding to the revenue we're supposed to gain from the banquet.